1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to food lifting devices and, more particularly, to a meatloaf pan with removable, hinged, pan insert.
2. Description of the Related Art
Baking products, such as meat and bread, is a common occurrence in the United States. Especially delicious is baked meatloaf.
The previous art is filled with loaf pans of varying configuration, such as the device disclosed in U.S. Design Pat. No. D289,844, issued in the name of Daenen et. al. However, there are several problems associated with the baking of meatloaf in conventional loaf pans. First, the loaves of meat have a tendency to stick to the sides of the pan, making removal of the intact meatloaf difficult if not impossible. Removal often necessitates skewering the tender meat with a fork or knife and then lifting it from the pan, thereby damaging its aesthetic appearance. Second, transferring the meatloaf from a pan to a plate often results in breakage of the meatloaf. The third problem relates to the accumulation of grease in the bottom of the pan that has drained from the meatloaf during baking. This grease causes a mess when the meatloaf is removed from the pan.
Devices in the prior art attempt to address these problems. U.S. Pat. No. 1,630,471, issued in the name of Collins, discloses a rack for roasters with side walls that fold inward for easy storage.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,718,624, issued in the name of Baker, discloses a wire rack with wire handles designed for baking and lifting fish from its cooking position in an oven.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,544,846, issued in the name of Mach, discloses a frying pan with a second bottom, positioned above the traditional bottom, with holes in it to drain grease away from the meat and into the traditional bottom of the frying pan.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,565,046, issued in the name of Rooth, discloses a roaster tray for turkeys and the like with detachable, metal bails attach to the roaster tray for removal of the bird from the oven and to the platter.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,092,909, issued in the name of Phillips, discloses a perforated self-draining meatloaf baking pan. These perforations allow grease to drain from the pan, away from the meatloaf, and into a catching pan, during baking.
Of considerable relevance is U.S. Pat. No. 4,677,906, issued in the name of Lowe. The ""906 device discloses a pan insert used for removing and draining food from within a cooking receptacle. The insert has a flat tray which holds a roast or the like, and three side panels which hold the food on the tray and allow for sliding the roast or the like off the tray.
There is a problem associated with use of the ""906 device. Use of the ""906 device requires the user to slide the roast or like object off the tray and onto a plate before cutting the meat. This is disadvantageous for several reasons. First, while lifting of the meat is no longer necessary to remove it from a pan, the meat must still be scraped from the sides of the insert before being slid onto a plate, causing aesthetic damage. Second, the meat cannot be cut while on the insert. The stationary, vertical, side walls of the tray prohibit cutting of the meat into portions along the elongated portion of the meat, as is traditional. Third, a plate must be used with the insert for serving purposes, as the insert itself cannot act as a tray. Fourth, it is difficult to grab the insert to remove it from the traditional underlying catch basin.
While the pan insert feature of the ""906 device is incorporated into this invention in combination, other elements are different enough as to make the combination distinguished over the inventors"" own prior art.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention. Consequently, a need has been felt for providing an apparatus and method which overcomes the problems cited above.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved meatloaf pan with removable, hinged, pan insert that facilitates the drainage of grease away from a meat product, such as meatloaf, or a bread product, during baking in a conventional oven, and which makes it easier to grasp and remove the pan insert from the meatloaf pan.
Briefly described according to one embodiment of the present invention, a meatloaf pan with removable, hinged pan insert is disclosed, comprising an elongated, rectangular meatloaf pan and an elongated, rectangular pan insert. The pan insert has two insert side panels that are hinged at their bottom edges to the longitudinal edges of the bottom of the pan insert. The hinges allow the insert side walls to support the meatloaf, bread or other product during baking, and fold downward to allow access to the product for cutting and serving purposes. As such, the present invention can be used as a serving tray. Removal of the pan insert is facilitated in one of three ways. First, built-in hand grips in the flanges located on the pan insert. Second, a set of handles that connect to the flanges located on the pan insert. Third, a sliding unit that slidably inserts into the cavity formed by the rolled edges of the flanges on the pan insert.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved meatloaf pan with removable, hinged, pan insert that facilitates the removal of a meat product, such as meatloaf, or a bread product, from the pan it is baked in, without aesthetic damage to the meat or bread.
It is another object of the present invention to provide hinged side walls that can be folded down to provide access to the meat or bread. This feature creates several benefits. First, the present invention facilitates the easy cutting of a meat product, such as meatloaf, or a bread product, from the pan insert itself. Second, the hinged side walls allow one to serve the meat product, such as meatloaf, or a bread product, from the pan insert itself, and as such, eliminating the necessity of a separate serving tray.
It is another object of the present invention to provide for removable handles that will facilitate the grasping and subsequent removal of the pan insert from the meatloaf pan.
10 meatloaf pan with removable, hinged, pan insert
20 meatloaf pan
40 top
50 bottom
55 pan flange
60 side wall
70 pan insert
80 insert bottom
100 insert side panel
110 hinging means
120 insert flange
130 hand grip
140 grease hole
150 non-stick material
160 insert stand
170 handle hole
180 handle
190 main body
200 coil spring protrusion
210 hooking means
220 sliding unit
230 central body
240 detente
250 handling means
260 lifting cavity